On 30th December (Saturday), JD(U) MLA Gopal Mandal landed in a controversy after getting caught on camera slapping a youth in Bihar’s Bhagalpur. As per reports, the incident unfolded at the Zero Mile Square area of the industrial police station. Hours earlier, an elderly person had lost his life in a tragic road accident following which family members and their supporters staged a protest demanding compensation.
The incident unfolded on Saturday morning when a cyclist met with an accident and collided with a speeding truck. In the tragic accident, the elderly individual suffered severe injuries and lost his life.
Following the incident, the aggrieved family members staged a protest on the main route from Zero Mile to Sabour, demanding compensation for the death of their relative. The protest interrupted traffic for hours prompting both Traffic DSP and local police officials to arrive at the scene and take control over the situation.
While the police were trying to pacific the family members, JD(U) MLA Gopal Mandal also reached the spot. Subsequently, the family members of the deceased started protesting in front of MLA Gopal Mandal demanding compensation.
As per the visuals and media reports, the JD(U) leader slapped a relative of the deceased person who was demanding compensation.
When questioned by the media over the slapping incident, JD(U) MLA Gopal Mandal defended himself arguing that the youth he slapped was his supporter. According to him, the victim was pulling him and not letting him explain his points to the crowd.
He said, “That’s why I slapped him. I am not an idiot who would slap a common man during elections. I am preparing to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. I am engaged in providing compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the victim’s family.”
He argued, can’t an elder brother slap his younger brother? There is nothing in this that should be exaggerated. Those who died were residents of the panchayat adjacent to my assembly constituency.
He added, “I will write to the DM and the transport department regarding the compensation demand and ensure compensation for the deceased’s family.”
Incidentally, the victim also downplayed the slapping incident claiming that he is an elder brother, and there was no problem. However, he did not say anything further.
Strikingly, in the video of the incident that is going viral on social media, the victim can be heard registering a protest after getting slapped by the JD(U) leader. In the video, he could be heard saying, he is saying that he is a leader then what? Will he slap us?
Despite the JD(U) MLA’s clarification and justification of the slapping incident, the protest by agitated locals continued.
Launching a scathing attack on the Nitish Kumar-Tejaswi-Yadav-led government in the state, the BJP stated that the incident showed that power has made JD(U) leaders arrogant and they consider the general public as secondary beings. The party asserted that the people would shed the arrogance of such leaders in the future.